Thermoelastic plates with cracks

In this section we consider the boundary value problem for model equations of a thermoelastic plate with a vertical crack (see Khludnev, 1996d). The unknown functions in the mathematical model under consideration are such quantities as the temperature 9 and the horizontal and vertical displacements W = (w, w ), w of the mid-surface points of the plate. We use the so-called coupled model of thermoelasticity, which implies in particular that we need to solve simultaneously the equations that describe heat conduction and the deformation of the plate. The presence of the crack leads to the fact that the domain of a solution has a nonsmooth boundary. As before, the main feature of the problem as a whole is the existence of a constraint in the form of an inequality imposed on the crack faces. This constraint provides a mutual nonpenetration of the crack faces  

Here [ ] is the jump of a function across the crack faces and v is the normal to the surface describing the shape of the crack. Thus, we have to find a solution to the model equations of a thermoelastic plate in a domain with nonsmooth boundary and boundary conditions of the inequality type. 

We prove the solvability of the problem. We also find boundary conditions holding on the crack faces and having the form of a system of equations and inequalities and establish some enhanced regularity properties for the solution near the points of the crack. Some other results on thermoelasic problems can be found in (Gilbert et al., 1990 Zuazua, 1995). 

---

We can now give an exact statement of the equilibrium problem for a plate. Suppose that / G L Q ). An element (0, x) G 17 is said to be a solution to the equilibrium problem for a thermoelastic plate with a crack if it satisfies the variational inequality... 

Khludnev A.M. (1996d) The equilibrium problem for a thermoelastic plate with a crack. Siberian Math. J. 37 (2), 394-404. 

In the book, two- and three-dimensional bodies, plates and shells with cracks are considered. Properties of solutions are established existence of solutions, regularity up to the crack faces, convergence of solutions as parameters of a system are varying and so on. We analyse different constitutive laws elastic, thermoelastic, elastoplastic. The book gives a new outlook on the crack problem, displays new methods of studying the problems and proposes new models for cracks in elastic and nonelastic bodies satisfying physically suitable nonpenetration conditions between crack faces. 

---